Publisher - Bantam Fiction, Transworld

Transworld are looking to appoint a Publisher to lead Bantam Fiction. Reporting to the Managing Director, this role will be part of the Transworld leadership team and take responsibility for the creative, cultural and commercial success of Commercial Fiction across the division.  

Bantam is an industry-leading publishing powerhouse with an established world-beating list, an indefatigable spirit and a commitment to first-class author care. The appointee will have a track record of acquiring and publishing the most high-profile authors in the world today, the energy and ambition to bring authors to market creatively and sensitively, and the commercial nous to understand and navigate today’s publishing environment.  The role will also lead and manage an experienced team across the entire spectrum of general fiction. 

About Bantam Fiction 

Bantam Fiction has been a commercial powerhouse for over sixty years, since it launched with hardbacks by Frederick Forsyth and Jilly Cooper in 1986. Both authors still publish with us. It has since gone on to become one of the UK’s most successful imprints launching the careers of Belinda Bauer, Tom Bradby, Dan Brown, Catherine Cookson, Lee Child, Nicholas Evans, Tess Gerritsen, Robert Goddard, Terry Hayes, Ruth Jones, Sophie Kinsella, Shari Lapena, Andrea Mara, Andy McNab, Manda Scott and Val Wood amongst many others. Its name has become synonymous with high quality storytelling from across the fiction landscape and its books are generally to be found on the higher reaches of the bestsellers’ list.  

Key responsibilities: 

• Work with the Managing Director and senior team to set clear strategic goals and targets for Commercial Fiction 

• Publishing strategy, including long-term planning, keeping abreast of trends and staying connected to external perspectives to inform acquisitions and creative publishing 

• Ultimate responsibility over all Commercial Fiction acquisitions, ensuring robust and inclusive conversations, the viability of investments and advising on acquisition strategy 

• Author relationships, continuing Transworld’s reputation of top-quality author care and ensuring that our authors are included in every aspect of their publishing and are properly connected with their core publishing team 

• Publishing operations, managing every aspect of the imprint’s day-to-day business including a clear focus on cost management and hitting editorial milestones on the publishing critical path 

• People management, responsible for the Bantam Fiction team, from hiring, performance management and development to well-being 

• Relationship management, devoting meaningful time to internal and external relationships, from collaboration and alignment with other Transworld teams and Group functions to key authors and agents 

Candidate profile: 

• Track record of publishing excellence and experience, able to demonstrate commercial success across a range of Commercial Fiction, and for a sustained period  

• Strategic thinker, widely read with great market knowledge, who can articulate a vision for our Commercial Fiction strategy as a whole and communicate it in compelling ways, ensuring internal teams, agents and authors are engaged with the list 

• Confident negotiator who can successfully navigate complex deals and auction environments  

• Creatively and culturally curious, able to turn points of interest into innovative and profitable publishing  

• Engaging communicator who can articulately bring books to life from the point of acquisition through to publication and onwards 

• Experienced in working with designers, marketeers and publicists to create standout covers and imaginative campaigns, perfect for the books and their audiences 

• Excellent relationship-building skills with both internal and external stakeholders 

• Commercially astute and competitive, able to use a breadth of data to support and enhance publishing decision-making, and motivated by the financial health of the list and how to grow its commercial contribution  

• Proven people management experience 

• A clear and inclusive leadership style – driving your vision, while empowering a team of stellar talents 

• A natural ambassador for Bantam Fiction, Transworld and Penguin Random House who builds relationships across the wider company and industry 

Application instructions: 

Please apply with your CV and cover letter (addressed to Kim Young) outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by midnight on Thursday 21st November 2024.  

What you can expect from us:

Salary: competitive basic salary depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.   

Competitive benefits package:  

Our people are the heart of our business, and we work hard to support a culture of responsibility and recognition.  

Our benefits include: 

Financial – income protection, life assurance, childcare allowance 

Wellbeing - healthcare cash plan, critical illness cover, health checks 

Lifestyle – enhanced parental leave, tech scheme,  

For our full benefits list please visit: https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/what-we-offer/ 

Hybrid working:  

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. There are regular meetings and activities that you will need to attend in person at our Embassy Gardens office. The exact balance of office working will depend on the nature of your role and team needs, and we are open to discussing this through the recruitment process. 

About Penguin:

We’re the UK’s largest publisher; made up of some 2,000 people and publishing over 1,500 books each year. Our doors are open to all kinds of talent. In a constantly evolving industry, we work hard to stretch the definition of the word publisher. Here, you’ll work with a breadth of talent who all play their part to make each of our books a success. Together, we make books for everyone because a book can change anyone. 

The recruitment process:

You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/ 

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. For this role, the candidate profile section serves as the essential criteria. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. 

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request. 

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee. 

Company: Penguin Books Limited 

Country: United Kingdom 

State/Region: London 

City: London 

Postal Code: SW11 7BW 

Job ID: 273247